


Closing The Distance

by ClownsOnAPlane



Category: Supernatural
Genre: John is a bag of dicks, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Night Before Stanford, Samulet, Teen Angst, What else is new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 03:04:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1882701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClownsOnAPlane/pseuds/ClownsOnAPlane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before Sam leaves for Stanford, Dean has something he wants to give him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closing The Distance

**Author's Note:**

> When I cosplay fem!Sam, I wear a necklace that was given to me by my Dean. After our latest cosplay photo shoot, I received a few questions asking what the significance of my necklace was, as Sam, since Dean has her Samulet. My necklace is symbolic to me in reality, but I wanted to integrate it into our portrayals of the Winchesters as well. Below, you'll find an image from our last shoot in which the necklace in question is displayed.

[ ](http://imgur.com/ndd9W2A)

Sam grit his teeth as the bitter taste of whiskey burned its way down his throat. He stared down at the bottle for a moment before wordlessly passing it back to Dean. Dean, who had hardly said anything all night. Dean, who looked more visibly shaken than Sam had ever seen him.

They’d both known this day was coming. Known since the beginning of the summer, when a big brown envelope came for Sam with a California postmark and a thick stack of Stanford letterhead inside. Sam had told Dean right away, but together they’d made the decision to keep it from their father until it was time for Sam to leave. The summer had gone by in the blink of an eye, and “that time” had suddenly thrown itself at their feet. A Greyhound bus was coming to take Sam away to Palo Alto tomorrow morning, and here they were. Sitting on the hood of the Impala in an open Wisconsin field, passing a bottle of Jack back and forth until they both forgot the hostility behind their father’s last words to Sam. Until the slamming of the motel door and John Winchester’s angry shouts faded into the background of their minds.

Sam wished he knew what to say. To his father. To Dean. Especially to Dean. He needed Dean to know that he wasn’t leaving because of him. That leaving Dean was the hardest part of leaving at all. That above all else, he was incredibly grateful that Dean was here with him tonight. Not only to face their father. But to face the reality that tomorrow morning, for the first time in his 18 years, Sam would be out of Dean’s sight, out of his care. And Sam wasn’t sure which one of them that scared more. Finally, it was Dean who broke the silence. Of course it was. “Sammy…You know I don’t like this.”

“Yeah Dean. I know. You know I don’t like leaving you. But if I don’t do this, I’m gonna spend the rest of my life regretting it. I don’t want that. And I’m pretty sure you don’t want that for me, either.”

Dean nodded, setting the bottle on the hood beside him. “You’re right. I don’t. It’s just gonna be weird, yknow? It’s gonna be hard for me. Knowin’ you’re somewhere I can’t protect you. Somewhere where if something goes bump in the night or if some asshole tries to pull one over on you, I can’t pull a gun on it.”

Sam nodded silently, staring at the ground. “I know.”

Dean glanced over at his baby brother, reaching up to absently toy with the amulet around his neck. “Dyou remember when you gave me this, Sammy?”

Sam looked over, and the ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Yeah. I do. It was that Christmas I found out that all this supernatural shit was real. And Uncle Bobby had given it to me to give to dad. But I was so mad at him, that I thought he didn’t deserve it. You deserved it more because you actually told me the truth. And because you acted more like a father than he ever did.” Sam shrugged. “Yknow, most dads would be proud of their kids for getting a full ride to Stanford.”

“Yeah, well. Dad’s not most dads. You know that.”

“Yeah I know. Doesn’t mean he had to start throwing shit at my head and tell me to get out and never come back, and that I was no son of his.”

“You know he didn’t mean that, Sammy.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Look, he didn’t. Now, c’mon, can we please stop talking about dad? He’s not here, and I’m trying to make a point.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, bitch, so shut up and listen.”

Sam smirked to himself. God, he was gonna miss this. Dean went on, “Anyway. You gave me this amulet. And you said it was special, that it was gonna protect me or something. Right?”

“Right. I mean. I didn’t know that much about it at the time, but yeah. I thought it would protect you. Cuz Uncle Bobby told me that’s what it was for.”

“Yeah, Sammy. That’s what I’m getting at.”

Dean grinned, fishing around in the pocket of the still too-big leather jacket he’d inherited from John, eventually extracting a thin silver chain. “I called Uncle Bobby again,” Dean continued, turning the chain and its pendants over in his hands. “And he told me what kinda stones and spells could help keep you safe. And he helped me get ahold of ‘em. He’s been sending me bits and pieces all summer. Finally got the finished product together this week. Just in time, too, huh?” He smiled to himself. “Here, Sam. Hold out your hand. Want you to look at it before I put it on you.”

Half in shock, Sam gently took the chain from his brother, looking at the array of different stones hanging from it. Wow. Dean had actually researched this, put something together, all in the hope of keeping Sam safe when he couldn’t be there himself. Sam felt the lump rising in his throat and he quickly swallowed it back down, choking out a joke to ease the tension inside him. “Thanks, Dean. But didja have to make it look like a chick’s necklace?”

Dean growled and pulled Sam’s head under his arm, like he was going to give him a millionth noogie. “Shut up, bitch. You’ve always been the girl anyway, so I thought it was fitting. Gimme that thing.”

Sam grinned as he handed it over, Dean keeping up a steady monologue, unclasping the necklace to fasten it around Sam’s neck. “I mean. I know it can’t exactly shoot anything for me, and I know it can’t beat up the kid who decides to make fun of your hair, but I figure it’s the next best thing, yknow? Even if we’re not together, I want you to have something of me on you. Especially something that’s supposed to protect you.” He finished reattaching the clasp and let his fingers linger at the nape of Sam’s neck, trailing over smooth skin. “You don’t ever take this off, you hear me Sammy?”

Sam nodded, trying hard to conceal the smile pulling at his mouth and the tears threatening to fall if he blinked too quickly. “Got it, Dean.”

“Good. I mean. It doesn’t make me feel any better about you leaving. But it makes me feel like maybe somehow I can still keep you safe.”

Sam reached up to spin one of the stone beads between his fingers, laying his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Thank you, Dean.” He whispered.

The sky above them was starting to show streaks of pink and orange, but neither could be bothered to care. Because here and now, they could both pretend that the Greyhound wasn’t already waiting at the bus station. That in a few short hours, Sam would be out of Dean’s arms, out of his reach, and sitting on vinyl seats that did not belong to the Impala, headed for somewhere Dean couldn’t follow. But somehow, the seven small stones around Sam’s neck made it all seem like maybe it could be okay.


End file.
